Season ends in loss

Late comeback falls short against Missions in finale

The Hooks' 2007 season came to an end, and it fittingly was a microcosm of the campaign as a whole.

The San Antonio Missions downed Corpus Christi 6-4 on Monday night at Whataburger Field, completing the Hooks' third season in the Texas League.

The Hooks ended the year with a 67-73 overall record and a 36-34 second-half mark to finish third in the South Division.

The team's first two seasons had ended on stirring notes, with Hector Gimenez hitting an 11th-inning, walk-off homer to win the 2005 finale and then Wade Robinson's single to drive in the championship-winning run last year.

There would be no such magical moment on Monday, as this year's finale was emblematic of the 2007 campaign, with erratic pitching and spotty hitting that came up just short.

"If there was a theme for the season, that's what happened, and tonight was just the tip of the iceberg toward the season," Hooks manager Dave Clark said. "We played hard, but it just didn't happen for us.

"This was probably one of the toughest seasons I've had to endure. It seems like we put in more work (as a staff) than we ever did before. Not that we didn't work before, but it seemed like more work because we were dealing with so many younger player. But just looking at things, you see where they got better. And that's why we do what we do -- to make these kids better."

The Hooks fell behind 5-2 after only two innings. Starter Brad James struggled with his control, walking five in his two-plus frames on the mound before he was pulled after facing three hitters in the third.

Trailing 6-2 in the eighth inning, the Hooks loaded the bases with no outs, but pinch hitter Jimmy Goethals hit into a double play that brought in the third run. Josh Flores then followed with a RBI double, but the rally ended there.

The Hooks were then retired in order in the ninth to end their roller-coaster season, which saw the team have a 13-30 record at one point before contending for a second-half playoff berth.

"We definitely wanted to go out with a win, for ourselves and from the fans' perspective," third baseman Neil Sellers said. "We started out really bad, and we were able to keep working hard. We got some new guys in here and that's definitely different when you're (changing up) the chemistry with different players. But I think we worked hard and had a pretty good year."